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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 16, 2019 04:03 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Frank Dermody |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Resolution: Supporting a Complete and Accurate 2020 Census Count |
| The. U.S. Constitution requires that a national census be conducted every 10 years to count the entire population of the United States and the location where each person lives. Less well understood, however, is how a complete and accurate census is crucial in a variety of ways to the day-to-day lives of the residents of this Commonwealth. Therefore, I will introduce a resolution urging support for a complete and accurate 2020 Census. Data gathered by the census shapes communities and drives economic development. It helps businesses decide where to locate facilities and invest funds; it assists local officials in determining where to build schools and libraries; it aids planners in mapping out roads, public transit routes and new infrastructure projects. In the case of rural Pennsylvania, where census participation tends to be lower, the data is used to calculate federal money for, among other things, rural development, rural health initiatives, and infrastructure projects. Vital programs such as Federal Direct Student Loan and Pell Grant Programs, Highway Planning and Construction, Medicaid, Medicare Part-B, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Housing Loans all rely on federal funding which is guided by census data. Other federal funds allocated to the States based on census data provide much needed financial assistance for the Commonwealth’s older adults. Due to an undercount in 2010, the Commonwealth lost an estimated $222 million in federal funds. The results of the 2020 Census will be used to allocate nearly $800 billion in federal funds. It’s estimated that the Commonwealth will lose about $2,000 per year for every person not counted in next year’s census. I hope you’ll join in actively working to educate our constituents on the importance of the 2020 Census. Let’s make this one count. |
Introduced as HR664